True spirit puja

The CESC The Telegraph True Spirit Puja 2012 finale at vidya mandir was a fun affair with a starry touch.

It was an evening to salute the commitment and compassion of the “true champions and heroes”, the organisers who had celebrated their Durga Puja by the rulebook and by mirroring the true spirit of the festivity.

The curtains came down on the 10th edition of the CESC The Telegraph True Spirit Puja (TSP), partnered by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and West Bengal Fire Services with Vedic Realty and GD Hospital & Diabetes Institute as associate sponsors, at the Vidya Mandir auditorium on November 10.

From just 30 pujas in 2003 when the journey to ensure a safe Puja had started, the number has swollen to 300-odd pujas over the past decade.

“The True Spirit Puja gives us certain guidelines regarding entry and exit, fire hazard and crowd management that helps us celebrate a more safe and secure Puja,” said Jayanta Chakraborty of Behala Nutan Dal, who were inducted into the TSP Hall of Fame this year.

The awards brought both veteran winners and newbies on the same stage — from Mechuabazar Sarbajanik Durga Puja Samity, who made the cut for the first time in the seventh year of participation, to 41 Pally Club who have bagged an award every time since the inception of TSP.

Tollywood star Raima Sen, who was part of the celebrity judges’ panel on Saptami that visited five pandals, was there to light up the Vidya Mandir stage in a bright and beautiful canary yellow Byloom sari. “I am happy to give away the awards to the deserving True Spirit pujas,” she said.

“This award is different because our priority is safety and security, traffic management, special arrangements for senior citizens and the physically challenged, and the social initiatives that the club has undertaken,” said Basu, congratulating the “crusaders in this social movement”.